Proximity sensor devices (also commonly called touch pads or touch sensor devices) are widely used in a variety of electronic systems. A proximity sensor device typically includes a sensing region, often demarked by a surface, in which input objects can be detected. The proximity sensor device can utilize capacitive, resistive, inductive, optical, acoustic and/or other technology.
The proximity sensor device can be configured for inputting to an associated electronic system. For example, proximity sensor devices are often used as input devices for larger systems, including notebook computers and desktop computers. Proximity sensor devices are also often used in smaller systems, including handheld systems such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), cameras, and remote controls, and communication systems such as wireless telephones and text messaging systems. Increasingly, proximity sensor devices are used in media systems, including players and recorders for pictures, music, or video. In these applications the proximity sensor device can function as a value adjustment device, cursor control device, selection device, scrolling device, graphics/character/handwriting input device, menu navigation device, gaming input device, button input device, keyboard and/or other input device.
One common application for a proximity sensor device is as a touch screen. In a touch screen, the sensor of the proximity sensor device is used in conjunction with a display screen that displays images including graphics, text, combination of graphics and text, and the like. Together, the proximity sensor and display screen function to provide a touch screen interface.
One issue in the design of such electronic systems is facilitating the adjustment of parameters, such as scrolling or rotating of images and changing of volume. Traditional methods of adjustment used for proximity sensors can be difficult—often requiring many repetitive adjustment inputs such as repeated user input motions. This difficulty is especially evident in proximity sensor devices with relatively smaller sensing regions, where even greater numbers of adjustment input motions are often needed to cause same amounts of total adjustment.
Thus, there exists a need for improvements in user interfaces of electronic systems, and in particular for improvements in the ease of adjusting parameters of the electronic systems.